Bill Walton: Luke Walton shouldn't leave Warriors to lead Knicks

NEW YORK -- Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton is expected to be a popular candidate for NBA head coaching vacancies this offseason, including the opening with the New York Knicks.

But Walton's father, Hall of Fame center and ESPN broadcaster Bill Walton, believes his son should stick with Golden State.

Luke Walton's familiarity with Knicks president Phil Jackson, left, should help make him a top candidate for the team's head coaching position this offseason. Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire

“I want what’s best for Luke Walton,” Walton told ESPN's First Take on Wednesday, while promoting his new book, "Back from the Dead." “I’m a warrior of the Golden State. It doesn’t get any better than what he’s got right now ever in life, and money will not make that happen again. It’s there now. Head coaching jobs, they’re open for a reason, and what he’s got, just stay there.”

With Walton serving as interim coach, the Warriors opened the season with an NBA-record 24 wins. They went 39-4 under Walton before head coach Steve Kerr returned from a leave of absence due to a back ailment.

The NBA has given Kerr credit for the wins, but opposing teams certainly noticed how well Walton handled things on the bench.

The Knicks, run by Bill Walton's close friend Phil Jackson, have a coaching vacancy. It is believed that Luke Walton will be on Jackson's list of candidates.

Luke Walton played for Jackson in Los Angeles and knows the Knicks' triangle offense well.

Bill Walton didn't address the Knicks' situation specifically but made it clear that he thinks his son should remain with Golden State.

“It doesn’t ever get any better than what he’s doing right now,” Bill Walton said. “When you’re 63 [years old], you know that. When you’re 35, 36, you’re saying, ‘Oh, this is just going to last forever.’ But then that inevitable crash, that inevitable fall. And then what Steph Curry is doing right now, money cannot buy that."

Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis will also be considered for New York's head coaching position.

The Knicks are 7-12 since Rambis took over for the fired Derek Fisher in early February.

Jackson, who is close friends with Rambis, called him "perfectly capable" of taking over as the Knicks' permanent head coach.

"Kurt and I have a relationship that goes back to 2001. He knows the ins and outs, what pleases me and probably [what] I want to have changed," Jackson said earlier this month.

The Knicks president added that he would reserve judgment until the Knicks finish the season to determine how they responded to Rambis.